I have been posting about my cat, Lucy, and her ordeal this weekend. Long story short, she began vomiting (pink), had diarrhea (became bloody after I got her to the e-vet), no appetite, went to the e-vet, x-rays/ultrasound didn't show any specific obstruction, but her intestines were bunching up like there might be one. Fluids, anti-vomiting meds, pain meds...the critical care specialist, radiologist, and surgeon (this place has a bunch of specialists) all agreed to open her up after 24 hours in the hospital, expecting to find some string or something.
Nothing. The vet grabbed some lymph node, stomach, and intestine for biopsy (wanted two samples from the intestine, but had problems with tearing, so didn't want to risk further complications and settled for one). She suctioned out the stomach contents and said Lucy kept leaking bloody diarrhea while on the table. This cat hasn't eaten anything since Thursday night, and by all appearances, threw all of that up.
The vet is stumped. At this point, the approach is more fluids, meds, and wait-and-see. The bloodwork and other tests didn't indicate it was a viral or bacterial infection (not to say it isn't, but isn't presenting like it, according to the vet). She suggested possible IBD or lymphoma, but says it's highly unusual in such a young cat (approximately 9mo to 1yr old).
This cat was perfectly healthy (except for a suture reaction to her spay) and suddenly becomes deathly ill late Thursday/early Friday. This is freaking me out. I'm trying to figure out how a fully vaccinated, indoor ~1yr old cat falls deathly ill. Obviously, it could be something bizarre or weird for her age.
-The shelter I adopted her from had a distemper outbreak. Lucy was vaccinated and received boosters over a month before the outbreak.
-I brought home another cat from this shelter (also vaccinated for distemper by prior owners and vaccinated again upon arrival at the shelter). This cat has a bad URI, but no other obvious health problems. Her bloodwork was all normal, and she checked out fine at the vet. She is improving daily and has no unusual/new symptoms.
-I let Lucy eat some Harmony Farms Tasty Tuna Entree Thursday night. She normally eats Wellness or Nature's Variety. I bought the Harmony Farms when I bought some Meow Mix to try to tempt the new kitty to eat. I figured I'd let Lucy eat some, since she went nutso for it when I was dishing it out for the new kitty (the new kitty, as it turns out, won't touch wet food, so she never ate it.) I figured it wouldn't kill her, right?
Anyone think the new kitty could have brought something into the house that made Lucy so ill? It just strikes me as unlikely between two fully vaccinated cats who came from the exact same environment (they were housed in adjoining cages at the shelter, for crying out loud).
I see Harmony Farms has been the subject of several recalls (including prior to the most recent "big" one.) Any possibility that food could be the source of this illness? The expiration dates on the cans they had were not included in the previous recall, but I suppose there could be another recall in the future.
I'm not looking to sue anyone or anything like that. I just hate not knowing the cause behind her illness. I'm also confused about what I'm supposed to do if she doesn't improve tomorrow or the next day or the next day. I am coming close to completely broke, and I can't justify borrowing large sums of money from family members when there's no reliable prognosis (especially after exploratory surgery turned up nothing - I can't argue with people who might suggest I'm throwing good money after bad). I could always open another credit card, but those funds aren't available immediately, and the vet hospital requires deposits every time anything changes. I already have a CareCredit account in use for Lucy.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I have never dealt with a mystery illness before, and it's breaking my heart (and my finances) to have Lucy be so sick and uncomfortable. I already feel incredibly guilty for subjecting her to unnecessary surgery (I know, I know...can't help it).
Nothing. The vet grabbed some lymph node, stomach, and intestine for biopsy (wanted two samples from the intestine, but had problems with tearing, so didn't want to risk further complications and settled for one). She suctioned out the stomach contents and said Lucy kept leaking bloody diarrhea while on the table. This cat hasn't eaten anything since Thursday night, and by all appearances, threw all of that up.
The vet is stumped. At this point, the approach is more fluids, meds, and wait-and-see. The bloodwork and other tests didn't indicate it was a viral or bacterial infection (not to say it isn't, but isn't presenting like it, according to the vet). She suggested possible IBD or lymphoma, but says it's highly unusual in such a young cat (approximately 9mo to 1yr old).
This cat was perfectly healthy (except for a suture reaction to her spay) and suddenly becomes deathly ill late Thursday/early Friday. This is freaking me out. I'm trying to figure out how a fully vaccinated, indoor ~1yr old cat falls deathly ill. Obviously, it could be something bizarre or weird for her age.
-The shelter I adopted her from had a distemper outbreak. Lucy was vaccinated and received boosters over a month before the outbreak.
-I brought home another cat from this shelter (also vaccinated for distemper by prior owners and vaccinated again upon arrival at the shelter). This cat has a bad URI, but no other obvious health problems. Her bloodwork was all normal, and she checked out fine at the vet. She is improving daily and has no unusual/new symptoms.
-I let Lucy eat some Harmony Farms Tasty Tuna Entree Thursday night. She normally eats Wellness or Nature's Variety. I bought the Harmony Farms when I bought some Meow Mix to try to tempt the new kitty to eat. I figured I'd let Lucy eat some, since she went nutso for it when I was dishing it out for the new kitty (the new kitty, as it turns out, won't touch wet food, so she never ate it.) I figured it wouldn't kill her, right?
Anyone think the new kitty could have brought something into the house that made Lucy so ill? It just strikes me as unlikely between two fully vaccinated cats who came from the exact same environment (they were housed in adjoining cages at the shelter, for crying out loud).
I see Harmony Farms has been the subject of several recalls (including prior to the most recent "big" one.) Any possibility that food could be the source of this illness? The expiration dates on the cans they had were not included in the previous recall, but I suppose there could be another recall in the future.
I'm not looking to sue anyone or anything like that. I just hate not knowing the cause behind her illness. I'm also confused about what I'm supposed to do if she doesn't improve tomorrow or the next day or the next day. I am coming close to completely broke, and I can't justify borrowing large sums of money from family members when there's no reliable prognosis (especially after exploratory surgery turned up nothing - I can't argue with people who might suggest I'm throwing good money after bad). I could always open another credit card, but those funds aren't available immediately, and the vet hospital requires deposits every time anything changes. I already have a CareCredit account in use for Lucy.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I have never dealt with a mystery illness before, and it's breaking my heart (and my finances) to have Lucy be so sick and uncomfortable. I already feel incredibly guilty for subjecting her to unnecessary surgery (I know, I know...can't help it).